Bible Readings for November 24, 2017

Today our passages are  Ezekiel 47:1– 48:35; 1 Peter 2:11–3:7; Psalm 119:49-64; and Proverbs 28:12-13.  The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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Ezekiel 47-48:35 (Contemporary English Version)

Ezekiel 47

The Stream Flowing from the Temple

 ¹The man took me back to the temple, where I saw a stream flowing from under the entrance. It began in the south part of the temple, where it ran past the altar and continued east through the courtyard.    ²We walked out of the temple area through the north gate and went around to the east gate. I saw the small stream of water flowing east from the south side of the gate.
    ³The man walked east, then took out his measuring stick and measured five hundred sixty yards downstream. He told me to wade through the stream there, and the water came up to my ankles. ⁴Then he measured another five hundred sixty yards downstream, and told me to wade through it there. The water came up to my knees. Another five hundred sixty yards downstream the water came up to my waist. ⁵Another five hundred sixty yards downstream, the stream had become a river that could be crossed only by swimming. ⁶The man said, "Ezekiel, son of man, pay attention to what you've seen."
   We walked to the riverbank, ⁷where I saw dozens of trees on each side. ⁸The man said:
   This water flows eastward to the Jordan River valley and empties into the Dead Sea, where it turns the salt water into fresh water. ⁹Wherever this water flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish, because it will bring life and fresh water to the Dead Sea. ¹⁰From En-Gedi to Eneglaim, people will fish in the sea and dry their nets along the coast. There will be as many kinds of fish in the Dead Sea as there are in the Mediterranean Sea. ¹¹But the marshes along the shore will remain salty, so that people can use the salt from them.
    ¹²Fruit trees will grow all along this river and produce fresh fruit every month. The leaves will never dry out, because they will always have water from the stream that flows from the temple, and they will be used for healing people.
   

The Borders of the Land

 ^13-14The LORD God said to the people of Israel:   When the land is divided among the twelve tribes of Israel, the Joseph tribe ^a] will receive two shares. Divide the land equally, because I promised your ancestors that this land would someday belong to their descendants. These are the borders of the land: ¹⁵The northern border will begin at the Mediterranean Sea, then continue eastward to Hethlon, to Lebo-Hamath, then across to Zedad, ¹⁶Berothah, ^b] and Sibraim, which is on the border between the two kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. The border will end at Hazer-Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. ¹⁷So the northern border will run between the Mediterranean Sea and Hazar-Enon, which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath. ^c] 18The eastern border will begin on the border between the two kingdoms of Hauran and Damascus. It will run south along the Jordan River, which separates the territories of Gilead and Israel, and it will end at the Dead Sea near the town of Tamar. ^d] 19The southern border will begin at Tamar, then run southwest to the springs near Meribath-Kadesh. It will continue along the Egyptian Gorge and will end at the Mediterranean Sea.
    ²⁰The western border will run north along the Mediterranean Sea to a point just west of Lebo-Hamath.
    ²¹That is the land to be divided among the tribes of Israel. ²²It will belong to the Israelites and to any foreigners living among them whose children were born in Israel. These foreigners must be treated like any other Israelite citizen, and they will receive ²³a share of the land given to the tribe where they live. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
   

Ezekiel 48

The Division of Land among Tribes in the North

The LORD said:

 ^1-7Each tribe will receive a section of land that runs from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. The northern border of Israel will run along the towns of Hethlon and Lebo-Hamath, and will end at Hazar-Enon, which is on the border between the kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath. The tribes will receive their share of land in the following order, from north to south: Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah.   

The Special Section of Land

The LORD said:

 ⁸South of Judah's territory will be a special section of land. Its length will be eight miles, and its width will run from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. My temple will be located in this section of land.    ⁹An area in the center of this land will belong to me. It will be eight miles long and six ^e] miles wide. ¹⁰I, the LORD, will give half of my sacred land to the priests. Their share will be eight miles long and three miles wide, and my temple will be right in the middle. ¹¹Only priests who are descendants of Zadok will receive a share of this sacred land, because they remained faithful to me when the Levites and the rest of the Israelites started sinning. ¹²The land belonging to the priests will be the most sacred area and will lie south of the area that belongs to the Levites.
    ¹³I will give the other half of my sacred land to the Levites. Their share will also be eight miles long and three miles wide, ¹⁴and they must never sell or trade any of this land--it is the best land and belongs to me.
    ¹⁵South of my sacred land will be a section eight miles long and two miles wide. It will not be sacred, but will belong to the people of Israel and will include the city of Jerusalem, together with its houses and pastureland. ¹⁶The city will be a square: Each side will be a mile and a half long, ¹⁷and an open area four hundred twenty feet wide will surround the city. ¹⁸The land on the east and west sides of the city limits will be farmland for the people of Jerusalem; both sections will be three miles long and two miles wide. ¹⁹People from the city will farm the land, no matter which tribe they belong to.
    ²⁰And so the center of this special section of land will be for my sacred land, as well as for the city and its property. The land will be a square, eight miles on each side.
    ²¹The regions east and west of this square of land will belong to the ruler of Israel. His property will run east to the Jordan River and west to the Mediterranean Sea. In the very center of his property will be my sacred land, as well as the temple, ²²together with the share belonging to the Levites and the city of Jerusalem. The northern border of the ruler's property will be the land that belongs to Judah, and the southern border will be the land that belongs to Benjamin.
   

The Division of Land among Tribes in the South

The LORD God said:

 ^23-27South of this special section will be the land that belongs to the rest of Israel's tribes. Each tribe will receive a section of land that runs from the eastern border of Israel west to the Mediterranean Sea. The tribes will receive their share of land in the following order, from north to south: Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad.    ²⁸Gad's southern border is also the southern border of Israel. It will begin at the town of Tamar, then run southwest to the springs near Meribath-Kadesh. It will continue along the Egyptian Gorge and end at the Mediterranean Sea.
    ²⁹That's how the land of Israel will be divided among the twelve tribes. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
   

The Gates of Jerusalem

The LORD said:

 ^30-34The city of Jerusalem will have twelve gates, three on each of the four sides of the city wall. These gates will be named after the twelve tribes of Israel. The gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi will be in the north; Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan will be in the east; Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun will be in the south; Gad, Asher, and Naphtali will be in the west. Each side of the city wall will be a mile and a half long, ³⁵and so the total length of the wall will be six miles. The new name of the city will be "The-LORD-Is-Here!"   

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 47:13 the Joseph tribe: That is, the two tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, Joseph's sons.
2. Ezekiel 47:16 to Lebo-Hamath, then across to Zedad, 16Berothah: One ancient translation; Hebrew "to Lebo-Zedad, 16 then across to Hamath, Berothah. "
3. Ezekiel 47:17 which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. Ezekiel 47:18 near the town of Tamar: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Ezekiel 48:9 six: The Hebrew text has "three" (but see 45.1 and the note there).

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1 Peter 2:11-3:7 (Contemporary English Version)

Live as God's Servants Should

 ¹¹Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you. ¹²Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honor God by telling the good things they saw you do.    ¹³The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone. ¹⁴You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good citizens. ¹⁵God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. ¹⁶You are free, but still you are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. ¹⁷Respect everyone and show special love for God's people. Honor God and respect the Emperor.
   

The Example of Christ's Suffering

 ¹⁸Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel. ¹⁹God will bless you, even if others treat you unfairly for being loyal to him. ²⁰You don't gain anything by being punished for some wrong you have done. But God will bless you, if you have to suffer for doing something good. ²¹After all, God chose you to suffer as you follow in the footsteps of Christ, who set an example by suffering for you.    ²²Christ did not sin
   or ever tell a lie.
    ²³Although he was abused,
   he never tried to get even.
   And when he suffered,
   he made no threats.
   Instead, he had faith in God,
   who judges fairly.
    ²⁴Christ carried the burden
   of our sins.
   He was nailed to the cross,
   so that we would stop sinning
   and start living right.
   By his cuts and bruises
   you are healed.
    ²⁵You had wandered away
   like sheep.
   Now you have returned
   to the one
   who is your shepherd
   and protector.
   

1 Peter 3

Wives and Husbands

 ¹If you are a wife, you must put your husband first. Even if he opposes our message, you will win him over by what you do. No one else will have to say anything to him, ²because he will see how you honor God and live a pure life. ³Don't depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes to make you look beautiful. ⁴Be beautiful in your heart by being gentle and quiet. This kind of beauty will last, and God considers it very special.    ⁵Long ago those women who worshiped God and put their hope in him made themselves beautiful by putting their husbands first. ⁶For example, Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her true children, if you do right and don't let anything frighten you.
    ⁷If you are a husband, you should be thoughtful of your wife. Treat her with honor, because she isn't as strong as you are, and she shares with you in the gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers.

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Psalm 119:49-64 (Contemporary English Version)

⁴⁹Don't forget your promise
   to me, your servant.
   I depend on it.
    ⁵⁰When I am hurting,
   I find comfort in your promise
   that leads to life.
    ⁵¹Conceited people sneer at me,
   but I obey your Law.
    ⁵²I find true comfort, LORD,
   because your laws have stood
   the test of time.
    ⁵³I get furious when evil people
   turn against your Law.
    ⁵⁴No matter where I am,
   your teachings
   fill me with songs.
    ⁵⁵Even in the night
   I think about you, LORD,
   and I obey your Law.
    ⁵⁶You have blessed me
   because I have always followed
   your teachings.
    ⁵⁷You, LORD, are my choice,
   and I will obey you.
    ⁵⁸With all my heart
   I beg you to be kind to me,
   just as you have promised.
    ⁵⁹I pay careful attention
   as you lead me,
   and I follow closely.
    ⁶⁰As soon as you command,
   I do what you say.
    ⁶¹Evil people may set a trap,
   but I obey your Law.
    ⁶²Your laws are so fair
   that I wake up
   and praise you
   in the middle of the night.
    ⁶³I choose as my friends
   everyone who worships you
   and follows your teachings.
    ⁶⁴Our LORD, your love is seen
   all over the world.
   Teach me your laws.

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Proverbs 28:12-13 (Contemporary English Version)

¹²When an honest person wins,
   it's time to celebrate;
   when crooks are in control,
   it's best to hide.
    ¹³If you don't confess your sins,
   you will be a failure.
   But God will be merciful
   if you confess your sins
   and give them up.

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Verse of the Day

“[Christ Brings Real Life]You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.” - Colossians 2:6-7

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

20th-century American journalist and activist, best known for her reporting on and support for communist movements in the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, Anna Louise Strong wrote, “To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be.”

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A Joke for Today

A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."

The teacher paused and said, "but no one knows what God looks like."

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing the girl replied, "They will in a minute."